While there are a lot of “hot” topics in education, one of the more recent issues worthy of discussion and consideration is artificial intelligence (AI). But, as we all contemplate the future impact of artificial intelligence, and particularly its impact on young people, my concern is that society at large still does not fully appreciate the meaning of “intelligence.”

Many people still believe that Intelligence Quotient, commonly known as IQ, is the most important determinant of a child’s future success. In the “IQ-is-paramount” scenario, schools are expected to focus disproportionately on the cognitive development of young people: reasoning, logic, literacy, numeracy, memorization, skills, content and mastery.

In this week’s blog post, I thought I might share the result of a conversation which I recently had on the topic of school culture. Last week, journalist Denise Deveau asked if I would be interested in speaking with her about modern-day independent schools and, specifically, the culture that we aim to nurture at Trinity College School. As speaking about TCS is one of my favourite things to do (as you may know, I often state that “I have the best job in the world!”), I agreed to chat. My reflections were captured in the following article which ran in the National Post’s Private School supplement on January 30, 2019.

School culture then and now
By Denise Deveau
As published in the National Post, Private School supplement, January 30, 2019

From technology innovation to curriculum changes to new teaching methods, the evolution of schools has been significant in the last three to four decades.

As a teenager, looking to my future, I had very few ideas of what I wanted to do when considering careers; however, I had a host of feelings about what I did not want to do. Even as a university student, I wondered what skills I could develop in order to make me more employable. Indeed, young people spend a great deal of time in school, college and university discovering or honing a skill, or skills, that will lead to a job, a true calling or lifelong vocation.

As we get older, and sit on the same side of the professional table as colleagues and/or sit across the table interviewing potential candidates, we learn that it is the soft skills that often determine “fit,” employability or compatibility with a particular organization, company or community.

If there was one particular aspect of our most recent break from our academic schedule that I most enjoyed it was reacquainting myself with the joy of reading. Like you, I do actually read a lot, in manageable chunks. Virtually every day of the year includes me reading emails, letters, various publications specific to education, online articles directed to me by colleagues and friends, portions of the Globe and Mail newspaper and essays from entities such as The Atlantic, The New Yorker and the New York Times. I also have three piles of books on my bedside table; I have started them all and finished none.